Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Potty training | Part I

I've been avoiding this post in fear of a regression, but after seeing her progress lately (even through a weekend of being sick) i'm confident she just might have this under control. I'd say she was ready to be potty trained way before I was. It seriously seemed so daunting to train a toddler, under 2, to use the potty, but I guess it makes things a lot easier when they are pushing you not to give up.

It all started in the beginning of January, Avery started to despise the feeling of a dirty diaper. She would scream bloody murder "I hurttttt, I hurt" when she pooped or peed in her diaper. This was the first sign. If you don't like how it feels the only choice you have is to stop doing it & use the potty. With her being only 20 months I truly feared the worst, yet I started the process of potty training anyways. I would just remind her to use the potty if she had to go, that "big girls" use the potty & soon she would be teaching her baby sister to use the potty. Every time I went, I would make sure I asked if she had to go too. I would then reward her with a stamp if she went, she loved this for a good week. Then the stamp got old & we went to stickers; this was a big hit! Soon after this she started to ask to go potty at the YMCA kids zone; she would even let the childcare leaders help her use it. Then she stated to ask in public places (ie. grocery store, mall, restaurants) she then let Bryce take her into the men's room. This was all within a few weeks & that is when I knew this was the real deal. I was using diapers at the time. I think pull-ups are just glorified diapers & Avery has never been interested in them, so why pay the extra money if a diaper works. For a good 4-5 weeks she was using the potty regularly about 4-5x a day and usually going #2 in the potty at least once a day. With this all said, she was still going in her diaper about 4 more times a day. That's seriously a lot of pee, I kept asking myself how will I ever get her to solely use the potty if shes going that much...

Last week at MOPS, (moms of preschoolers) a group I attend 2x a month, I was talking to some of the moms at my table about this subject. They all had older children, but said that finally they just went cold turkey because there kids were getting to old and diapers were just not an option anymore. They assured me that it was a mess for a good week or two & too just pack extra clothes if we left the house, make sure the car seat was covered & to bare with it because eventually it would just "click."  After all Avery has been the one pushing me all along with her constant interest in the potty & that I just need to take away the diapers and get her in panties for good. So that afternoon, a week ago from today, I put her in panties and we haven't looked back. 

Surprisingly, shes doing wonderful! She had 3 accidents the very first day, 2 accidents the next few days, & for the past 5 days shes only had one or none. I still use a diaper during nap time & bedtime, but prior to her getting sick she was waking up dry for both! I've been pushing her to drink this past few days & I'm sure the Motrin is putting her into deeper sleep than shes used to. Yet, shes still waking up every morning asking to go potty & asks to go before bed each night. As soon as she wakes up from nap/bed time I tell her she has to go potty before we can go play & make sure shes in panties from that moment on. I'm so proud of my little lady & i'm certain that the theory, your child just knows when they are ready, holds true. Avery had all the cues leading me to believe she was ready to be out of the diaper. Friends & family always told me not to push it so she wouldn't regress, so I didn't. Once Avery seemed ready to use the potty the only thing I could do as a mother was remind her over & over again, asking if she had to go. So I did & the poor girl started to get annoyed with me; she even told me a few times "I know, I know" after I chirped into her ear, "remember Avery your in big girl panties now, you have to use the potty if you have to go!" 

So that's where we stand to this day. Accident free most days & I know its only been a week, but she has no interest in wearing a diaper anymore, it really just "clicked!"


1 comment:

  1. That's awesome! I'd love for Aubrey to be potty trained, but she's not there yet. She's LOVING running around diaperless though.

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